The Ultimate Filipino Exotic Food Must Try

They say that the best way to
know the culture of the place you are visiting is through food there is.

Anna Magtibay

The Philippine cuisine, though it’s not quite well-known in
other parts of the world, mostly consist of tasty and colorful fare made with
fish, meat, and vegetables. The history behind this rich culture of Filipino
dishes is somewhat an issue of survival while ethnic groups do it in the name
of their age-old traditions.

Here’s a checklist of Filipino exotic dishes that are worth a
try.

Adobong Kamaru (Pampanga)

Kamaru, or mole crickets, which are plentiful in Pampanga, are
considered a Kapampangan delicacy. But for non-Kapampangan, it’s harder to
muster the courage to feast on this exotic dish, especially when the image of
dirty, crawling insects keeps on popping up. It is served as adobo or
deep-fried.

Adobong Salagubang
(Nueva Ecija)

The salagubang or june bug, is a common
treat in Nueva Ecija, where many of these beetles thrive. It usually served as
appetizer or pulutan (beer match).

Adobong Uok (Rizal)

Beetle larvae may not sound very appetizing at first, but uok
cooked as adobo served with rice and
tomatoes is considered an exotic delicacy.

Abuos (Ilocos)

Also known as ant-egg caviar, this Ilocano delicacy is one
that is tasty, but a little bit pricey.
Usually served as adobo, sautéed with garlic or eaten raw. You can buy abuos in public markets around the
Ilocos region.

Balut (All over the
Philippines)

Though considered common eats among many Filipinos, there are
still those who have yet to pluck up the courage to try balut. Balut has long been known as El Dorado of bizarre edible items,
a torture of an item, a bizarrely-conceived if not abjectly demonic dish. Balut
is an eleven day old fertilized duck egg, containing the partially formed
embryo of a duck, surrounded by egg.

Betute Tugak (stuffed
frogs) – (Pampanga)

I have also tried eating frogs in Estero Fastfood in Binondo but
there is a dish that is a common delicacy in Pampanga called betute tugak,
which are deep-fried field frogs stuffed with minced pork.

Etag (Cordillera Region)

Etag is salted pork (binurong baboy) that is kept underground in earthenware
jars to age. This is known as Sagada’s official ham. It is not a dish in
itself, as it is most often used as an ingredient in other viands, but it adds
a very distinct flavor to meat or vegetable dishes. However, the process of
Etag is somewhat a faint at heart due to its foul-smelling, dark, and rotting
with maggots. Yet, Cordillera traditions won’t be complete without this local
meat favorite.

Tamilok (Palawan)

One of the famous delicacy in our province is the “Tamilok”,
a shipworm or woodworm whichcan be found in mangrove
trees. It’s slimy and salty and is
really worth a try to make your Palawan adventure memorable. It is dipped in
salt and vinegar and eaten raw.

Pinikpikan (Cordillera
Region)

Though similar to the traditional tinolang manok (chicken in broth with vegetables), pinikpikan
is a chicken dish where the process of preparing the chicken is
considered a tribal ritual which helps the people determine their tribe’s fate
regarding a particular course of action. The native chicken beaten to death
through a process called “pikpik”
from which the dish got its name.

Soup No. 5 (Manila and
Cebu)

This is something I want to try, the aphrodisiac dish called “Soup
no. 5” --- made from Bull’s testes and penis. The testicles are sometimes
referred to as this animal’s 5th leg, which is where the soup’s name
is believed to have come from. Some restaurants in Binondo serve this dish, and
it can also be found in Cebu, where it is known as Lanciao.

Tuslob-Buwa (Cebu)

As I was searching for this kind of dish, I can’t help it but
closed my eyes as it is a yucky factor for me as tuslob-buwa is made from pig’s brains. In Pasil, Cebu, pork brain
and liver are cooked thoroughly with spices until the sauce thickens. It is
best eaten with rice cooked inside banana leaves.

There is nothing wrong in to try different things and if you’re
brave enough there is also nothing wrong in eating exotic foods.

Write your comment if
you have already tried one of these exotic foods and how’s your experience? Don’t
forget to follow.

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About Anna

I’m the kind of person that always wonders. Wonder if I can get here. Wonder what’s the history behind that city, the culture, food and people. . When my heart got broken that's the time I started to go to places I’ve never been and started exploring things I just saw in postcard. And right from that day I’ve realized that there is reason for the things that didn’t go right. That you don’t need to stop or let your world be ruined by someone. Just like what Liz Gilbert says in the movie “Eat, Pray, Love”, “Ruins is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.” Right then, I started to do a blog about my travels the “Wandering Dora” (you may visit my blog www.wanderingdora.blogspot.com) and share all about travels, foods, history, events, tips and recommendation.